Wine Advisor
Clerc Milon 2017
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Description
A wine with considerable ageing potential made in the traditional Médoc way, Château Clerc Milon is the result of a particularly successful marriage between gravel and clay-limestone terroirs and Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes. Powerful, tannic, full-bodied and rich in fruit, it also has all the typical elegance of the finest Pauillac wines.
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
The 2017 Clerc Milon is medium to deep garnet-purple colored and offers up a gorgeous nose of potpourri, cinnamon stick, candied violets and kirsch over a core of warm cassis, plum preserves and boysenberries with a waft of garrigue. Medium to full-bodied, the palate delivers loads of muscular fruit with a firm, fine-grained texture and tons of freshness, finishing long and perfumed.
Reviewed by: Lisa Perrotti-Brown
A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carménère, the 2017 Clerc Milon is deep garnet-purple in color and scented of crushed red and black currants, wild blueberries and black pepper with touches of cigar box, violets, underbrush and menthol. Medium-bodied and with a very firm structure of wonderfully ripe, pixelated tannins and exhilarating freshness, it finishes long with notes of pebbles and floral perfume.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
A real sleeper in this vintage, the 2017 Clerc Milon packs a serious punch. Inky dark fruit, new leather, mint and lavender infuse the 2017 with striking layers of dimension. In 2017, Clerc Milon is shockingly intense, the result of a year with quite a bid of dehydration on the vine. There is no shortage of depth or structure, at least in the early going. I can't wait to see how the 2017 ages.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
The 2017 Clerc Milon is painfully backward and austere. In a vintage in which so many wines are forward and fruity, Clerc Milon is the exact opposite. There is not much pleasure or immediacy here, that much is evident. Inky dark fruit, chocolate, leather and licorice add to the wine's dark personality. The blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot and 1% Carmenère, aged in 50% new oak.After the frost, which did not really affect us, the major challenge in 2017 was heat stress, Mouton Technical Director Philippe Dhalluin told me. We had no rain until the end of June. Then, in September, when we needed a bit of rain again, we got more than double what would have been optimal. The September rain affected the Merlot and Cabernet Franc, while the Cabernet Sauvignon was able to take advantage of the last 15 days of the growing season, which were much more favorable. In the cellar, we opted for longer macerations at lower temperatures, as we wanted to avoid extracting the type of hard tannins that mark other vintages with very dry summers, such as 2011.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2017 Clerc Milon, which contains a tiny lot of Carmenère, has a delightful bouquet that offers blackberry, briary flecks of cocoa nibs and freshly rolled tobacco. It is tightly wound at the moment and simply requires bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh, vibrant entry. It is a strict and quite linear Clerc Milon, "correct" to the point of being straight-laced with a well defined, classically styled off-dry finish. Fine, classy, if medium rather than long-term. What you might call a "cool" customer.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2017 Clerc Milon was picked from 13 to 29 September and matured in 50% new oak (which was represented in the blend tasted.) It has a more closed, backward bouquet compared to the sample of d’Armailhac. It actually reminds me of that other “Milon”, Duhart-Milon in style. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin, a fine bead of acidity, quite austere and conservative with a precise, pencil-lead, Valrhona chocolate and smoke infused finish that just pulls up a little short at the moment. Tasted three times with consistent notes.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2017 Clerc Milon, which contains a tiny lot of Carmenère, has a delightful bouquet that offers blackberry, briary flecks of cocoa nibs and freshly rolled tobacco. It is tightly wound at the moment and simply requires bottle age. The palate is medium-bodied with a fresh, vibrant entry. It is a strict and quite linear Clerc Milon, "correct" to the point of being straight-laced with a well defined, classically styled off-dry finish. Fine, classy, if medium rather than long-term. What you might call a "cool" customer.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
Tight and compacted with chewy tannins and showing hot-stone, blackberry and blueberry character. Full body and a driven finish.
Reviewed by: James Suckling
This is a rich and profound red with blackberries, blackcurrants, pine needles and graphite. Black licorice, too. Full-bodied, crisp and creamy with fantastic tannin backbone and length. Deep. A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, 23% merlot, 14% cabernet franc, 2% petit verdot and 1% carmenere. Try after 2022.
About the Producer
A legendary terroir, prestigious neighbours, a providential encounter: the history and the success of Château Clerc Milon are summed up in these three words. The terroir is that of Pauillac, where some of the world’s finest wines are made. The neighbours are Mouton and Lafite, illustrious First Growths whose nearby vines can be seen from the terrace of the Château. The encounter was with Baron Philippe, who in 1970 acquired the then badly neglected estate and decided to restore it to its status as a Classified Growth. Now, thanks to Baroness Philippine, Clerc Milon, one of the most highly regarded châteaux in the Bordeaux region, can boast technical facilities and reception areas worthy of its reputation.
1949(2)1995(2)1996(2)1998(2)1999(1)2000(5)2001(4)2003(2)2004(2)2005(3)2006(8)2007(5)2008(10)2009(5)2010(9)2011(3)2012(14)2013(4)2014(10)2015(19)2016(8)
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